Questioning the intelligence of the other mockers in this Live Draft. That's an impressive haul and as you mentioned probably on the unrealistic side.

That being said nice freaking job.

It's a mock that involves a collaboration of posters from 3 different draft sites.

But Schwenke's fall was not a secret. He was being brought up in the draft chat room constantly. For some reason or another the GMs just bypassed him for other talent. I wonder if the need for C is not as great as we think.

It's a mock that involves a collaboration of posters from 3 different draft sites.

But Schwenke's fall was not a secret. He was being brought up in the draft chat room constantly. For some reason or another the GMs just bypassed him for other talent. I wonder if the need for C is not as great as we think.

Frederick was taken in Round 2. Barrett Jones fell to Round 3.

Interior linemen are never "sexy" picks so in any forum mock they're gonna slide.

This is the time of the draft where teams start to get a little more unpredictable, so I went into it just hoping one of my options would reach me. Obviously my eye was on Safety since I hadn't drafted one yet. In round 5, I'm not looking for the next Darren Woodson, but the depth of this draft at the position did make it better than most years. Still available were Tony Jefferson, JJ Wilcox, Shawn Williams, Rontez Miles... among others.

Picking in the middle of the round requires patience playing the waiting game. I half heartedly tried to move down in order to add a second 5th rounder. JAX had a couple of 5ths, but since this mock only went 5 rounds, using 6th rounders as bait didn't really attract anyone. I wanted to add 2 players in this round, but since I could only take one, I had to go S.

JJ Wilcox (who the Cowboys have been linked to) was taken by the Cardinals. Rontez Miles was drafted by the Titans. But my pet cat was still there. I had given some thought to taking this guy with my second pick in Round 4, but I held off knowing better.

When the Cowboys were on the clock, I kind of had a repeat of my scenario in Round 3 where I had 2 choices of guys at the same position that I wanted to draft. One that I really wanted and another who I thought should've been gone by now. The first time around I went with the BPA guy, so this time I went with the guy I really wanted. This guy is really my pet cat and has been for a while. With the Cowboys 5th round pick, I drafted FS Earl Wolff from NC State. Woop!

For some reason that I don't know yet, Wolff is not highly regarded and that is perfectly fine by me if that means we can land him late in the draft. I know NC State's defense struggled this year, but Amerson is still being talked up. IMO, Wolff proved he belongs with or above the higher ranked safeties when he put up such solid numbers at the combine. In Round 5, I am NOT gonna complain about whatever warts he has. I feel like with good coaching he can be molded into a better player. Love his rawness. His range. I also think he's got what it takes to play FS.

The other guy I almost took was Shawn Williams. High highlights are unreal, but so many times during the year when I watched Georgia, Williams would be getting beat. Plus, I think he's more SS than FS. So that's why I went with Wolff.

1) Lane Johnson LT Oklahoma - Fisher and Joeckel went 1/2 so I had no choice
2) Sam Montgomery DE LSU - I believe he has late round 1 talent and he was the best DE left on my board and we simply had to have a DE
3) Barrett Jones OC/OG Alabama - can play OG for a season and move to OC next year when Raiola retires
4) Duke Williams S Nevada - IMO, a 3rd round talent who slipped because he's from a smaller school
5) Marquess Wilson WR Washington St. - IMO, he's a 1/2 round talent who slipped for obvious reason but I thought he was worth the risk in round 5 after he had a wonderful pro day.

I picked early in round 3 and it was a choice between Jones and Schwenke, I loved both but Detroit didn't need an OC till next year so I took Barrett because he can play OG for a season before moving over to OC next year. I was very tempted to take Watson who has a huge upside.

1) Lane Johnson LT Oklahoma - Fisher and Joeckel went 1/2 so I had no choice
2) Sam Montgomery DE LSU - I believe he has late round 1 talent and he was the best DE left on my board and we simply had to have a DE
3) Barrett Jones OC/OG Alabama - can play OG for a season and move to OC next year when Raiola retires
4) Duke Williams S Nevada - IMO, a 3rd round talent who slipped because he's from a smaller school
5) Marquess Wilson WR Washington St. - IMO, he's a 1/2 round talent who slipped for obvious reason but I thought he was worth the risk in round 5 after he had a wonderful pro day.

I picked early in round 3 and it was a choice between Jones and Schwenke, I loved both but Detroit didn't need an OC till next year so I took Barrett because he can play OG for a season before moving over to OC next year. I was very tempted to take Watson who has a huge upside.

I thought you had a pretty solid draft. Weren't any "HUGE" Lion-type picks though. Should have taken Leon Sandcastle with one of your early round selections, that would have been pretty classic...

1) Lane Johnson LT Oklahoma - Fisher and Joeckel went 1/2 so I had no choice
2) Sam Montgomery DE LSU - I believe he has late round 1 talent and he was the best DE left on my board and we simply had to have a DE
3) Barrett Jones OC/OG Alabama - can play OG for a season and move to OC next year when Raiola retires
4) Duke Williams S Nevada - IMO, a 3rd round talent who slipped because he's from a smaller school
5) Marquess Wilson WR Washington St. - IMO, he's a 1/2 round talent who slipped for obvious reason but I thought he was worth the risk in round 5 after he had a wonderful pro day.

I picked early in round 3 and it was a choice between Jones and Schwenke, I loved both but Detroit didn't need an OC till next year so I took Barrett because he can play OG for a season before moving over to OC next year. I was very tempted to take Watson who has a huge upside.

I thought you did a really good job finding value in the early rounds. Lane Johnson is my #1 OT. He's not the #1 ranked OT in draft rankings, but I think he'll be the best LT out of this class when all is said and done.

I'm also a fan of Montgomery in Round 2. There was a time this year that I would've considered him at 18 because his production has always impressed me. But his stock is falling and I think you did a good job of not letting him slip by.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Barrett Jones. I might be his biggest fan. I heard guys in the chatroom giving you grief for taking him. Calling him a 4th or 5th round guy, but that just shows their incompetence more than anything imo. lol.

Not a fan of Duke and don't know much of Wilson other than youtube clips.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Barrett Jones. I might be his biggest fan. I heard guys in the chatroom giving you grief for taking him. Calling him a 4th or 5th round guy, but that just shows their incompetence more than anything imo. lol.

i've certainly not been a barrett jones fan but i will agree 4th or 5th is really low for him

but i still think he's a 3rd round talent, i get that he's played guard, tackle and center, but in the pro game he doesn't have the athleticism to be a tackle and as a guard i think he'll have alot of the same struggles peter konz had this year (and for a historical reference andre gurode) dealing with the power of dt's at the nfl level and being able to generate movement in the run game and he also had trouble with some undersized quick dt's as well this past year

i also read reports that jones may very likely have to start his season on the pup, yes was carter started his rookie season on the pup too, be was a top 15 pick on the cowboys board injury withstanding, i don't see barrett jones as one of top 32 players in this draft.

as always we can agree to disagree, as a center i would take him mid-late second (ignoring the medical)and #1 overall at that position but imo if you draft jones and want to try him at guard i think he a third rounder, i have him battling dallas thomas (since they both have injury issues) as the #6 guard behind 'mack, coop, pugh, warford, and frederick

The hate for Barrett Jones in the draft community baffles me. He has been terrific at every position Alabama has ever asked him to play, and he's perfect for the center position in the NFL.

Same here. Beyond that, he brings intangibles, leadership, a winning tradition, basically everything you want out of a center IMO. I don't care that he's not a physical freak of an athlete. If his stock has gotten to where he is going in the 4th round sign me up any day of the week. Especially with him having to start on the pup, we could even red-shirt him as a rookie with us having Cook there.

He just seems like he's going to have a 10+ year career as a starting center and he may never be a top 5 center but I think he'll be top 10 for the majority of his career. Not the biggest Romo fan here, but I think we will really see him productive going late into his 30's if we address the line like this and find 3 new starters this off-season.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Wright

I guarantee that if someone picks Cam Newton in the Top 5 they will regret it.

Is that a full time gig or something that you do on the side? Congrats bro.

Part time at this point. Working different shifts on player news & transactions.

I've always gone back and forth w the guys on twitter and asked them how they got into those jobs, they apparently looked through my tweets after that & thought I had potential so they hit me up and said "if you're interested send us a writing sample."

So I stayed up all night writing about two different things, which I had the freedom to choose -- they gave no direction.

The first sample I wrote was on Vacarro/Cyprien and how they're perfect examples of the evolution of the safety position.

Then I wrote a 2nd sample about all the options the Cowboys had with Anthony Spencer after they franchised him and what I thought the appropriate course of action was.

After Roto decided they liked those I was moved into a training/trial period on news & transactions. After I "passed", I was told ill basically be given more and more responsibility and freedom until I fail.

So basically it's part time at this point, I can earn a full time role, but I don't know if that's realistic going forward.

I could dedicate myself to this but I don't think it provides for the type of lifestyle I live unless you're a nationally recognized writer. So while I love football, I'm probably going to get a full time job doing something I actually went to school for.

I left my full time job, which was a sales position for a home health company, to pursue a career that will actually allow me to put my MBA to use. I've been hunting for about 6 weeks now and this opportunity popped up in the meantime.

Basically, I love football. Awesome hobby. I like to write about it. I'm going to bust my ass to do the best I can for Roto for as long as I can, but football is my 2nd love. Money trumps all. Gotta chase that paper.

Ideally I'd be able to make the money I want writing about football but that's like winning life's lottery -- unlikely.

i've certainly not been a barrett jones fan but i will agree 4th or 5th is really low for him

but i still think he's a 3rd round talent, i get that he's played guard, tackle and center, but in the pro game he doesn't have the athleticism to be a tackle and as a guard i think he'll have alot of the same struggles peter konz had this year (and for a historical reference andre gurode) dealing with the power of dt's at the nfl level and being able to generate movement in the run game and he also had trouble with some undersized quick dt's as well this past year

i also read reports that jones may very likely have to start his season on the pup, yes was carter started his rookie season on the pup too, be was a top 15 pick on the cowboys board injury withstanding, i don't see barrett jones as one of top 32 players in this draft.

as always we can agree to disagree, as a center i would take him mid-late second (ignoring the medical)and #1 overall at that position but imo if you draft jones and want to try him at guard i think he a third rounder, i have him battling dallas thomas (since they both have injury issues) as the #6 guard behind 'mack, coop, pugh, warford, and frederick

I agree, I was worried about his medical, but we simply aren't in a position to know the extent of his injury so I went on talent alone. Obviously, if I knew for sure that he couldn't contribute in 2013/14, then I would have gone in a different direction.

Part time at this point. Working different shifts on player news & transactions.

I've always gone back and forth w the guys on twitter and asked them how they got into those jobs, they apparently looked through my tweets after that & thought I had potential so they hit me up and said "if you're interested send us a writing sample."

So I stayed up all night writing about two different things, which I had the freedom to choose -- they gave no direction.

The first sample I wrote was on Vacarro/Cyprien and how they're perfect examples of the evolution of the safety position.

Then I wrote a 2nd sample about all the options the Cowboys had with Anthony Spencer after they franchised him and what I thought the appropriate course of action was.

After Roto decided they liked those I was moved into a training/trial period on news & transactions. After I "passed", I was told ill basically be given more and more responsibility and freedom until I fail.

So basically it's part time at this point, I can earn a full time role, but I don't know if that's realistic going forward.

I could dedicate myself to this but I don't think it provides for the type of lifestyle I live unless you're a nationally recognized writer. So while I love football, I'm probably going to get a full time job doing something I actually went to school for.

I left my full time job, which was a sales position for a home health company, to pursue a career that will actually allow me to put my MBA to use. I've been hunting for about 6 weeks now and this opportunity popped up in the meantime.

Basically, I love football. Awesome hobby. I like to write about it. I'm going to bust my ass to do the best I can for Roto for as long as I can, but football is my 2nd love. Money trumps all. Gotta chase that paper.

Ideally I'd be able to make the money I want writing about football but that's like winning life's lottery -- unlikely.

Congrats bro. Be careful about chasing money though. Sometimes it's not worth it. I chased money. And while I'm not complaining about it, I do feel that I'd enjoy working a lot more had I went into something I truly love like football. Hell, I'd give up 40gs of salary to talk about football for a living.

You make money work for you, not the other way around. As you get older you realize that a lot of the superfiicial things in life that you want or desire in your mid 20s, doesn't really mean a thing. It won't make you happy.

Decided to try something a little different and restrict myself to drafting/signing players that Dallas has visited or will visit today on the Local Prospect "Dallas Day". Without further ado...

18) Jonathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina
By far the highest player on my board at this stage and would be a the most seamless option for transitioning to ZBS. The more I watch the more locked I become at 18.

Only player who could be on the board that would give me pause at 18 would be Sheldon Richardson. The talent gap between Cooper and the next tier of ZBS capable guards is MUCH larger than the gap of 3-techs after Richardson so the choice was easy if Cooper is available.

47) Kawann Short, DT, Purdue
Short's stock rollercoaster is settled back around the mid-2nd for most sources. He's a top 10 pick for parts of his videos and a lazy late rounder for other stretches. I want to give Marinelli a shot at motivating Kawann into the catalyst of our defensive line.

80) Phillip Thomas, S, Fresno State
I love Thomas. Honestly I wouldn't be angry taking him in the 2nd despite his 3rd round valuation. He's a playmaker and that is something we haven't had in a LOOOOONNNNGGGG time on the backend of our defense.

4th) Gerald Hodges, OLB, Penn State
Hodges is another PSU linebacker that is MUCH better than his athletic markers due to being very intelligent. He takes excellent routes to the ballcarrier and is heady dropping into coverage. He is certainly not going to be able to shadow the uber athletic TEs in the NFL but I hope we don't ask our SLB to solo TE's in coverage too often anyhow. Former safety converted to LB and has the ability to pop the ball carrier. Maxed out frame however which bodes no ill in the Tampa 2 given he is already at 242.

5th) Stansly Maponga, DE, Texas Christian
Undersized but plays with a lot of power. Has extremely long arms and has an array of moves to get to the QB. Very, very, VERY, active hands and keeps his level low to efficiently overpower tackles. Maponga needs to enroll in the DeMarcus Ware pass-rushing camp once he arrives as his first step is inconsistent. If he becomes quicker off the snap he could become a productive edge play on the weak side.

6th) Jakar Hamilton, S, South Carolina State
Hard to find film on Jakar but watching his 2010 stuff from Georgia is encouraging. He looks for the big hit rather than the ball at times. Has the athletic markers you look for despite being a bit undersized at around 6'.

Lande broke him down in more detail:

Quote:

Looks the part with a thick neck and muscular claves. Does punt and kickoff returns as well. Strong tackler who is not afraid of contact. Is better close to the line of scrimmage than in space but is solid in coverage as well. Is a front up tackler who looks for the big hit. Can drop his weight with ease to come to balance. Outstanding lateral quickness. Can go from sprinting to breakdown position in one movement. Once he gets his strong hands on the ball carrier, Hamilton will make the tackle. Good in space but will take poor angles because he relies on his speed too much. Can get away with sloppy technique at this level in college but will need to correct his techniques in the NFL to be a starter. Has decent ball skills which he shows as a returner, but does not make many plays on the football. Looks for the hit instead of the interception or pass breakup.

UDFAs:Kendial Lawrence, RB, Missouri
By not selecting a RB in the draft Dallas has to move quickly to secure a potential fit for the open scat-back role on offense. Kendial Lawrence was brought in for a visit and is certainly a jitterbug with excellent hands out of the backfield. Look for Dallas to be active in the veteran RB market following the draft.

Lanear Sampson, WR, Baylor
Linked with Dallas from the get-go Lanear is brought in to challenge the back-end of the roster for a spot. Excellent speed and plays with physicality above his size.

Kyle Padron, QB, Eastern Washington
Leader. Keeps eyes downfield while moving in the pocket. Athletic and will pull the ball down and scramble if options are not open. Moves VERY well in the pocket to avoid the rush. Has a sweet pump fake. Looks like his deep ball floats on him.

Prospect Videos:

Cooper:

That first play is a thing of beauty. Cooper (64) pulls from the LG spot and seals the hole WIDE OPEN for an easy long gain. Please. Please. Please. Be available at 18.

Short:

Wisconsin tape best shows Short's rollercoaster IMHO. Some plays he's in the backfield off the snap other times he looks lazy as he gets pushed out of the play entirely.

Thomas:

Highlight clip as I already posted the Tulsa tape I was going to put in here. Just wanted to point out how he catches the ball. He looks like a receiver rather than a safety playing the ball. Normal negatives from his game tape is his extremely aggressiveness leads to both positive splash plays as well as broken tackles, missed tackles, and long gainers. That's the double edged sword of being a playmaker though.

Hodges:
He was misused by PSU and I've seen him a ton being a PSU alum. :) Hodges showed the ability to bounce outside on running plays unless held (OSU mainly). Can see a lot of his teammate Jordan Hill in the clips (#47) for some double action scouting! :D

Maponga:

Had to use this clip even though it's not all that valuable from a scouting prospective. Watching Maponga destroy RGIII in the NFL would be the only thing sweeter than that.

If you want something bigger to chew on for Maponga check out his game tape on the Kansas State game. First play shows the power he possesses despite his frame.

Hamilton:
If you have gotten better tape on Jakar please post it. Would be nice to evaluate deeper :)

Lawrence:
High school tape but wanted to show that hop-step without needing to find it in another video. Love jump cuts and that one is sweet.

Sampson:
Has the athletic ability to run away from people but some of his route running made me think of Ogletree. Definitely found the soft spot in the zone a few times which is the mark of an intelligent player.

Padron:
Love the pocket presence and that he keeps his eyes down the field. Didn't like the floating deep balls which relied on his receivers to bail out the throws at times.